Dormant BTC Whale Wakes Up

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Dormant Bitcoin wallet, 13Km9, received 10 BTC 12 years ago on May 27th, 2012, a transfer that was worth just over $50 when it was made. The address then remained inactive, holding its balance of 10 BTC through the highs and lows of the last three crypto bull cycles. This same address woke up last week, with its balance worth just over $1.03M. The address then initiated a transfer of 10 BTC, which was split evenly between two addresses, 39hii and 3PXrh.

This 12-year holding period is remarkable, as it represents a holder sitting through multiple, highly volatile market cycles without selling. The patience required to turn a $50 investment into over $1 million by simply doing nothing is a classic example of the long-term "HODL" strategy.

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The balance in 3PXrh was later also transferred to 39hii shortly after, which is believed to be a Kraken deposit address.

Consolidating the full amount into a single address associated with Kraken, a major centralized exchange, is a very strong signal. This is the primary step a holder would take to convert their cryptocurrency into fiat currency, strongly implying an intent to "cash out" the million-dollar profit.

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With the recent surge in the price of Bitcoin, many dormant wallets have reawakened, with most transferring a portion or all of their Bitcoin to a centralized exchange, likely with the intention to take profits on their holdings. Some of these addresses are even as old as from early 2009, active just days or weeks after the Bitcoin genesis block on January 3rd, 2009.

These "genesis-era" wallets are a direct link to Bitcoin's earliest days, possibly belonging to the first-ever miners or adopters. Their re-emergence is often tracked by market analysts, as movements from such old wallets can indicate that the network's most patient investors are finally seeing a price point worth taking.